Full Moon in Virgo: The Alchemical Potion of the Soul

The last few weeks have been energetically very intense. The new is coming but we still feel trapped by a lot of unpleasant situations that may appear to keep us living in the past.

The next Full Moon in Virgo occurring on Sunday will trigger an increase in recent tensions as the celestial bodies form a specific Rectangular Aspect Pattern called an Irritation or Stimulus Rectangle, which comprises of two oppositions encased by two semi-sextiles. This configuration is symbolic of events that will accelerate our soul evolution by taking us to the limits of our tolerance so that we may release the limitations of the old mind-sets that hold us back.

When we speak about the soul, we rarely take into consideration the fact that the soul is an agent of alchemical transformation as it may induce catharsis in our physical life in order to lead us towards a new beginning. Alchemy is a process of fusion, that is the coming together of the personality (thinking, feeling and behaviour) and the soul. Alchemy is generally defined as the process of taking something that we experience as heavy and difficult (lead) and turning it into something light and valuable (gold). In the ancient times this process was defined as the Great Work and it consisted of three main stages which had the purpose of revealing the red heart from the heaviness of dark and unconscious matter: Nigredo (the Black Work), Albedo (the White Work) and Rubedo (the Red Work). Life is the teacher, the stage on which we experience the process of transformation to wake up to the truth hidden by the veil of illusion of our little minds.

The Moon will be at 22° in Virgo, while the Sun will be at 22° in Pisces. Virgo is the sign associated to the body, but it is also related to the possibility of revealing the Soul within the body. It is the sign associated to health and change of life directions. Pisces is correlated to the resurrection of the soul and the death of the personality. Generally a fish rots from the head down and this symbolically means that we will experience a process of decomposition and putrefaction of our belief system. The Moon represents form and structure, the old way, the old life. Virgo is olive, which relates to the process of marination requiring the addition of salt at the right time.

The Sabian symbol of the Moon is a lion tamer displays his skill and character, highlighting the need to tame one’s vital energies in order to fulfil one’s destiny. While the symbol of the Sun, a “materializing” medium giving a séance, indicates the ability to give of one’s own vital energy to substantiate one’s conscious ideals or unconscious desires (Dane Rudhyar).

The taking place of an alchemical process in the sky is also underlined by the two Fixed stars, which embrace the Moon: Denebola, which means Lion’s tail, located in the Lion constellation and Alkes in the Crater constellation. Denebola has been considered the Judge, or Lord who Cometh, by the astrologer Heinrich Bullinger. In the initiatic process the lion is the symbol of the passion and the strength through which the initiate is capable of taming his own instincts in order to take the path towards the light, as in the Bible it is the emblem of God: “Should my head be lifted up, You would hunt me like a lion; And again You would show Your power against me.” (Job 10:16)

In the esoteric Tarot card Le Monde (The World) the Lion is associated to the fire signs; it is symbolic of the Gospel of Mark and the wands in the minor arcana. Mark is the evangelist of action, meaning that the consciousness of the soul is revealing itself to us and we have to take action in order to manifest its presence into our life. In astrology the three fire signs are Aries, Leo and Sagittarius: Aries suggests a re-orientation of our thinking, Leo is the courage to follow the call of the Divinity coming form the heart and Sagittarius represents the arrow pointed towards the Path.

Alkes is a star in the Crater and it is connected to the cup given by Apollo to the raven to fetch water. In alchemy one of the symbols of nigredo is the “decapitation”, and also the “raven’s head”. Those symbols refer to the dying of the common man, the dying of his inner chaos and doubt because he is unable to find the truth in himself. (Johann Daniel Mylius, Philosophia Reformata, Frankfurt, 1622)

The raven is symbolic of change. It is about going fully into a situation and reducing it to its core by drinking the pure waters from the crater – which is symbolic of the Holy Grail – in order to find inner knowledge not through the intellect but through feeling the emotions, as they are associated to water. By going into the depth, we allow the putrefaction and the decomposition of that we have been trapped in. The confrontation with the inner reality could be experienced as painful and depressive, but, as we touch the unconscious aspect of matter, we find the seed of the white light, which will make us feel relieved. As the body/material aspect/situation/relationship starts to decompose, we will witness a shift of our awareness to the inner self. The Sun and the Moon are an indication of the opposites to be united – the soul and the personality – and the fire and air energies triggered by Uranus, Venus and Eris in Aries and Jupiter in Libra are emblematic of the elements stimulating the decomposition. Uranus is the esoteric ruler of Libra and it stands for the revelation of the truth. Jupiter in Libra, opposite Uranus, will initiate the expansion in the direction of the truth and make us break through anything we may experience as a limitation. Saturn reigns over nigredo. It is alchemically used as the symbol of chaos and it expresses the transformation of death into new life. This planet will outline a T-square with the Sun and the Moon from his position in Sagittarius, enhancing the sense of heaviness and stagnation coming from all the situations that are coming to an end.

Alchemists say that the nigredo lasts for 40 days, as 40 is the number of trial or probation: the 40 days that Jesus spent in the desert, the forty days of fasting between Easter and Ascension Day and the forty days spent in the desert by the Israelites. But 40 represents also the “end of the time” of trial or testing, because it is the product of 8 and 5: 8 is the number of new beginnings and 5 is grace.

40 is associated to the Hebrew letter Mem, which means Fountain of Wisdom. This letter is a letter of introspection that compels us to humbly go within and question ourselves on our existence. The aim of this soul searching is the urge to renew and keep working on a permanent rebirth.

“What hinders men from seeing and hearing God, is their own hearing, seeing and willing; by their own wills they separate themselves from the will of God. They see and hear within their own desires, which obstructs them from seeing and hearing God. Terrestrial and material things overshadow them, and they cannot see beyond their own human nature. If they would be still, desist from thinking and feeling with their own self-hood, subdue the self-will, enter into a state of resignation, into a divine union with Christ, who sees God, and hears God, and speaks with him, who knows the word and will of God; then would the eternal hearing seeing and speaking become revealed to them. ” 
Jacob Boehme (1575-1624 C.E.)

It is a time of revelation and new beginning. Tensions will be created but they will only free us from the limitation of our own little self. Do not fight anymore with the inner truth but be open to embrace it within your own heart and live it fully. The new life may arise only after the death of the old one.

Last night
I lost my grip on reality
 and welcomed insanity.


Love
 saw me and said: “I showed up.
 Wipe you tears
and be silent.”

I said: “O Love,
 I am frightened,
 but it’s not you.’”

Love said to me: “There is nothing that is not me, be silent. I will whisper secrets in your ear,
 just nod yes
 and be silent.”

Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī

Cristiana Caria

For information about the courses and the March seminar on the Hebrew Letters or to book an individual consultation, please, fill up the form below: